This landmark text on the sociology of death and dying draws on contributions from the social and behavioral sciences as well as the humanities, such as history, religion, philosophy, literature, and the arts, to provide thorough coverage of understanding death and the dying process. The text focuses on both individual and societal attitudes and how they influence both how and when we die and how we live and deal with the knowledge of death and loss. Robert Kastenbaum is a renowned scholar in the field who developed one of the world's first death education courses and introduced the first text for this market.

(This is the 9/e TOC; this will be updated when final TOC for 10/e is available). Each chapter includes Summary, References, Glossary.

1. As We Think About Death. Not Thinking about Death: A Failed Experiment. Your Self-Inventory of Attitudes, Beliefs, and Feelings. Some Answers-And the Questions They Raise. Humans Are Mortal: But What Does That Have to Do with Me? Anxiety, Denial, and Acceptance: Three Core Concepts. Theories and Studies of Death Anxiety. Major Findings From Self-Reports of Death Anxiety Theoretical Perspectives on Death Anxiety Accepting and Denying Death.

2. What Is Death? What Does Death Mean? Competing Ideas about the Nature and Meaning of Death. Death Observed, Proclaimed, and Imagined Biomedical Approaches to the Definition of Death. Event Versus State What Does Death Mean? Interpretations of the Death State Conditions That Resemble Death. Death as a Person. Conditions That Death Resembles. Death as an Agent of Personal, Political, and Social Change.

3. The Death System. A World without Death. Basic Characteristics of the Death System. Functions of the Death System Tsunami and Hurricane Katarina: Challenges to the Death System Hurricanes Katarina and Rita How Our Death System Has Been Changing-And the "Deathniks" Who Are Making a Difference. Causes of Death: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. Basic Terms and Concepts.

4. Dying: Transition from life. Transition From Life. What Is Dying and When Does It Begin? Trajectories of Dying: From Beginning to End.

This landmark text on the sociology of death and dying draws on contributions from the social and behavioral sciences as well as the humanities, such as history, religion, philosophy, literature, and the arts, to provide thorough coverage of understanding death and the dying process. The text focuses on both individual and societal attitudes and how they influence both how and when we die and how we live and deal with the knowledge of death and loss. Robert Kastenbaum is a renowned scholar in the field who developed one of the world's first death education courses and introduced the first text for this market.

Table of Contents

(This is the 9/e TOC; this will be updated when final TOC for 10/e is available). Each chapter includes Summary, References, Glossary.

1. As We Think About Death. Not Thinking about Death: A Failed Experiment. Your Self-Inventory of Attitudes, Beliefs, and Feelings. Some Answers-And the Questions They Raise. Humans Are Mortal: But What Does That Have to Do with Me? Anxiety, Denial, and Acceptance: Three Core Concepts. Theories and Studies of Death Anxiety. Major Findings From Self-Reports of Death Anxiety Theoretical Perspectives on Death Anxiety Accepting and Denying Death.

2. What Is Death? What Does Death Mean? Competing Ideas about the Nature and Meaning of Death. Death Observed, Proclaimed, and Imagined Biomedical Approaches to the Definition of Death. Event Versus State What Does Death Mean? Interpretations of the Death State Conditions That Resemble Death. Death as a Person. Conditions That Death Resembles. Death as an Agent of Personal, Political, and Social Change.

3. The Death System. A World without Death. Basic Characteristics of the Death System. Functions of the Death System Tsunami and Hurricane Katarina: Challenges to the Death System Hurricanes Katarina and Rita How Our Death System Has Been Changing-And the "Deathniks" Who Are Making a Difference. Causes of Death: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. Basic Terms and Concepts.

4. Dying: Transition from life. Transition From Life. What Is Dying and When Does It Begin? Trajectories of Dying: From Beginning to End.